


Second Chances

by DanaEliza



Series: A Party of Four [7]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Eventual Sex, F/F, F/M, Unhappy in relationship, eventual yuri, hints of the foursome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-05 13:00:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6705415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanaEliza/pseuds/DanaEliza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gou was certain she was happy with her relationship. He took good care of her, made her feel safe. But when she runs into her best friend whom she had not seen in a while, she realises that maybe things could be better.</p><p>Spin-off for my A/B/O story. Can be read alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like starting this mini chapter fic today and am quite happy with it so far. Gou seems right to me, but this is the first time I'm writing here, so I can be wrong! Hopefully you'll enjoy!

"I'm fine, Rin. Worry about your own relationship."

It seemed their conversations would always end up like this. Gou would call her brother to check up on him. See how he's settling in with the other three boys, and just make sure everything was alright. But Rin tended to turn things around quite quickly, focusing on Gou's relationship, drilling her with question after question. It was something about Rin not trusting to guy, and when Gou asked why not, a typical answer came. A gut feeling. Well, Rin's gut could go screw itself, because everything was fine. Her boyfriend took good care of her and kept her safe, so what was there to worry about? So Gou got very defensive whenever Rin dared to bring it up nowadays. Thankfully he was also easily distracted.

"Why? What did you hear?" Rin's voice sounded strained through the phone, making Gou raise an eyebrow.

"Rin, is there something you need to tell me?" Of course something was wrong with her brother's relationship! The idiot always got himself into trouble. As long as he didn't fall back into his dark mood and shy away from everyone. She couldn't bear seeing him go through all that again, and if something was wrong in his relationship, then Gou was certain Rin would turn back to his moody self. The guy cared too much for the other three. Rin really had gotten lucky, so he better keep it that way.

Rin's reply came very quick and was pretty much yelled through the phone, tone sounding slightly upset. "Nothing as far as I know, but now you're making me worry! What did you hear, Gou?"

Rolling her eyes at her brother's antics Gou sighed. "I didn't hear anything, Rin. I just meant that you should stop focusing on my relationship and instead pay attention to your own. I'm fine and you're fine, and we'll stay that way." She better get that in now, before Rin started complaining about her boyfriend again. He was her brother and she loved him and all, but he could really be a pain in the ass sometimes. Very protective of her, and of Sousuke was there too, then it got even worse. As if she had two overprotective brothers.

"Damn… Don't scare me like that," Rin huffed, but then quickly narrowed in on their previous subject. "And are you really fine, Gou?" That tone Rin put up, acting as if he was her parent, just annoyed Gou even more.

Grabbing her keys and coat Gou finally was ready to leave the house. She still lived with her two moms, partially because she didn't want to leave them alone without children, and partially because she wasn't ready yet to live with her boyfriend. She stayed over often enough, her body asking that of her as well, but actually living there. Becoming his housewife. She wasn't ready yet for that, and for now he seemed fine with that too. This did mean they had to get together more often. And right now they were going to have one of their dates. Throwing the front door closed behind her, she let loose some of her frustration. "I am leaving the house now, Rin," she replied, ignoring Rin's initial question. He could really go shove it somewhere.

"So? I'm on the subway too. We're not talking about weird things." Of course that's what Rin thought and Gou would just have to deal with it. And Gou was simply not the type to just hang up on him. He was still her brother and of course he meant everything with the good of his heart. "Anyway where are you going? About to see _him_ again?"

Another roll of her eyes. "His name is Kaito, Rin. Try to remember it for once. You'll be seeing more of him, especially when you come visit us next week." Gou laced her voice with a bit of sadness, playing on her brother's sympathy. At least she knew how to play him and get him on her side, or at least to give up and stop bothering her. She had never even complained about her relationship, so why would he even worry so much?

"Fine, fine. Sorry Gou," Rin said defeated, finally dropping the subject. Though it wouldn't be the last time he would bring it up. Gou was certain of that. "Hey, I'm getting off now. I'm meeting up with Makoto, so I'll call you later, okay?" Gou hummed in reply, knowing Rin wouldn't call, but she didn't mind. She would just call him and do her own check. He had always been like that and she was already happy that he at least picked up the phone. "I have to go. Bye sis!" And without waiting on a reply, the call was disconnected.

Sighing softly Gou flipped her phone closed and stuffed it in her purse. Even if she didn't see any problems with her relationship, she still felt quite dejected whenever she spoke with Rin about it. She couldn't even really pinpoint why. But this wasn't the time to dwell on things. She wouldn't let her brother get to her now. Look at where his relationship started. It had been quite a mess before they even got somewhere. Of course now it all worked great, and it was annoying to see how in sync they all were. Flaunting how they were the perfect foursome or whatever.

The sting of jealousy caught Gou of guard. Her steps faltered as she realised she was really jealous of her brother. Not that she would want to date any of his lovers, not at all. At some point she had felt attracted to Makoto, but only on some physical level, and at that point they didn't even know he was an Alpha or that she was an Omega. It had barely even been a crush, because she had felt too responsible of the team as a whole, rather than focusing on her own love life. So what was she jealous of? Rin didn't have anything different than what she had. Biting her lip she continued on her way again. This was not the time nor the place to worry about this. Maybe she could ask her mom later.

With her brother still on her mind Gou reached the city centre of Iwatobi, it harbouring a few shops here and there, but nothing special. Still a perfect dating spot. She had come here many times already. Had dined at the same café over and over again, the cushions of the chairs becoming something familiar to her behind. Why it made her heart clench wasn't clear to her.

Stopping by the small statue that held some meaning to the harbour close by, Gou let her eyes slide around in search of Kaito. Her muscular boyfriend who would keep her safe from anything. Before she could really look around though, someone else called out her name.

"Gou-chan, is that you?"

There weren't many around who called her Gou. With a frown she turned towards the voice, ready to correct the other on what her name was. Or what she preferred to be called. But when she was met with a familiar turquoise coloured gaze, warm brown hair pulled up in its signature messy bun, Gou could only smile. "Hana-chan!" she called out enthusiastically, waving the girl over. It really had been too long since she had last seen Chigusa Hanamura. After they had graduated from high school, Gou had stayed behind in Iwatobi, but Chigusa had actually left to study in Tokyo too, and they had just kind of lost contact.

Chigusa made her way over to Gou, a happy smile on her lips as she instantly reached for Gou's hands, squeezing them as a greeting. "Gou, it's been so long!" And for the first time Gou didn't mind Chigusa calling her that. It seemed right with the way it rolled of her lips, excitement dripping off the word as she spoke her name.

"I know!" Gou said, her smile growing impossibly wide. The fact that her best friend from high school was here lifted her spirits immediately. The conversation with her brother was long forgotten. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Tokyo?"

"I have a week off, so I decided to come home and see my parents," she explained. "And it's always good to come back to Iwatobi. See old friends, like you." Her lashes flickered, shooting Gou a meaningful look. "I really miss you. You really should come visit me in Tokyo some time. I'll show you around and we can just hang out like old times. Gossip about the swimming team and such." A playful wink made the subject a little lighter, but Gou still felt that warm tug at her heart, loving the fact that Chigusa actually missed her.

Realising they were still holding each other's hands Gou gave them a final squeeze and then let go, not wanting this encounter to become awkward. "I miss you too, so we should really hang out. You're here the rest of the week, right? Maybe we can get together if you have time?"

Gou hadn't accepted Chigusa's offer on coming to visit her in Tokyo, because she wasn't sure if she could. Being away from Kaito longer than a day had never occurred before, and she was certain he wouldn't like it either. It shouldn't become complicated for them. Not for a friendship that had kind of dissipated before.

And of course Chigusa noticed, her eyes turning a little sad as she nodded. She never had been really good at hiding her emotions. "Right, sure. I have enough time. I won't be holed up in my parents' house the entire week," she assured, a soft smile on her lips that missed a bit of warmth.

After that it fell silent and Gou could feel the awkwardness creep in, so she quickly changed the subject. "So how have you been? Something interesting happened while in Tokyo?" She wiggled her eyebrows to emphasize. It was a subject everyone always crossed, because knowing someone's relationship status was something important. Usually conversations were struck up like that, trying to figure out where someone stood in their relationship. The underlying idea was that this way people knew information on which they could judge someone one, but that was never said out loud. This was simply taught by parents, by school, the media, everyone really.

"Ah no, I've been very busy with my studies and just haven't met anyone I'm interested in," Chigusa replied, a slight blush appearing on her face. "How about you? You seeing anyone?"

Deciding it was best to not reply to Chigusa's single status, Gou focused on the second part. "Yeah, I'm actually here to meet him." Which she had forgotten about slightly until now. Her ruby eyes wandered the street around, until they finally landed on the peculiar bleach blond hair. Her eyes roamed over the tanned skin covered with beach shorts and a wife-beater, appreciating the curve of his back. Her smile died when she saw him hovering over another girl, teasing grin on his lips as he was probably spewing his cheesy pickup lines at her. Gou had no reason to be angry. It was in an Alpha's nature to want more Omegas around, but it still felt like a jab to the stomach. Especially with her high school friend standing next to her, witnessing the same thing. Throwing up her hand Gou tried to look as casual as possible, faking a smile as she directed herself at her boyfriend. "Kaito, I'm over here!" she called, cursing the fact that her voice broke.

Her boyfriend's smile grew as he strutted their way. He didn't wave the girl goodbye, which satisfied Gou a little. "Hey beautiful," he spoke, voice a little dark as he let his Alpha tone rush through it, just to get to Gou a little more. It was followed with a kiss on the lips, lasting too long for Gou's taste. She was blushing heavily when Kaito finally pulled back, not appreciating the public display of affection, but Kaito had always waved her off whenever she complained. She would get used to it, he said. And she would, she knew that.

"H-hey," she eventually mustered, an arm now wrapped tightly around her waist to keep her close. "Uh, this is a friend, Chigusa Hanamura." Her hand motioned at Chigusa, but her eyes didn't follow the direction, feeling far too embarrassed now.

"Another beautiful lady," Kaito said in a flirtatious tone. He winked at Chigusa then, making Gou's stomach do a flip. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kaito, Gou's love of her life."

Her lip tightened at the mention of her name, disliking that he said Gou, rather than Kou. She had corrected him many times before, multiple times a day even, but he didn't seem to catch on. Maybe he didn't really care. Gou had stopped correcting him.

"We should go, Kaito. We made reservations." Gou really just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, embarrassment rising the longer they stood there.

"Right, we should hurry then," Kaito replied, fingering the hem of Gou's top. "Would you care to join us, Chigusa?" He smiled brightly at her, trying to lure her in like he tried to lure every girl in, but the use of her first name didn't sit well with Chigusa at all.

Frowning a little she declined, shaking her head at the offer as she shot a look at Gou. It was the same look Rin kept shooting her whenever he saw Kaito and her together. Confusion and worry, which was not right. Kaito was good to her. He was just not very familiar with boundaries in public, but that was hardly a problem. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Gou nodded at the question, unable to tear her eyes away from her friend. Even as Kaito pulled her away, she couldn't look away. Why did everyone keep looking at her like that?


	2. Chapter 2

" _So when do you have time then?"_

Her tone was disappointed, which was to be expected. But Gou really couldn't help it in this case. At least that's what she kept telling herself over and over again as she tried to set a date to meet up with Chigusa. And she was only here for a week, so they barely did have any time to get together. Gou just had so much to do. She had her part-time job she had to go to, waiting tables at a local cafe. And of course she couldn't forget about her boyfriend, whom she saw every day, no exceptions, and he didn't like it when she rescheduled their dates, which were all planned already. So she had to find a moment where she could actually have some time for other things. Seeing her boyfriend just took up a lot of time, because she really wanted to see him and he her.

"I don't know," Gou breathed. With her planner spread out in front of her, her pen tapping away on the pages, she tried her best to find a spot for her best friend. "Maybe Thursday afternoon?" she suggested, hoping it would be fine. It needed to be fine.

It stayed silent for a second, Chigusa letting out a sigh in the end. _"But like, you just want to meet up for the afternoon? Not the whole evening or something? I mean we haven't seen each other in so long. Shouldn't we get together at least a little longer?"_

Gou bit her lip, knowing Chigusa was right. Of course she was right. Of course they should get together longer, but when? It wasn't like Chigusa had announced her arrival or anything. They had just run into each other and then had to figure out when they both had time. Chigusa had all the time in the world, scooting her parents around to make time for Gou. Gou was not as flexible as they were. She had a boyfriend here as well. They had to see each other, like you ought to in a relationship. "I, uh, I could stay for dinner, but would need to leave early to meet Kaito. He expects me at seven." And seven was far too early, eating before that normally not happening, but she couldn't do otherwise.

" _So you suggest to see each other at four and then say goodbye at seven?"_ Chigusa replied, the bite in her voice very apparent.

Gou flinched, feeling slightly guilty over the whole ordeal. She did want to see her, but there was just no time. "Well... we'd need to say goodbye a bit earlier, since I need to be at Kaito's place at seven," she said honestly.

" _Gou!"_

"Okay, okay!" Pinching the bridge of her nose Gou tried to come up with a proper solution, something that would actually solve this thing. She softly cursed under her breath, knowing she had no other choice. It was time to text her boyfriend and tell him they needed to reschedule. Part of her didn't mind much, because she really wanted to see Chigusa and she knew those few hours wouldn't be enough. They had a lot to catch up on and... she had missed her know that she thought about it. She didn't have many friends left. Most of them had left for other cities and with dating Kaito, she just was unable to see them all. "Okay," she eventually said after she took a moment for herself. "I'll cancel Kaito, so that we have the rest of the evening, but you better make this worth it!" The last part was a joke, trying to make light of the conversation. It had gotten quite heavy and hearing Chigusa's frustration and disappointment over the phone wasn't making things better, at all.

" _Oh, thank you, Gou-chan! I mean he will understand. We haven't seen each other in so long and I just want to see you. So you cancel Kaito and then I'll arrange the perfect evening, I promise! I'll make it worth it!"_ Gou wasn't so sure if Kaito was going to understand, but it was good to hear Chigusa was at least taking this seriously.

Biting her lip again Gou was already not looking forward to the next conversation she needed to have. "It's fine, Hana-chan. We'll see each other in a few days. I look forward to seeing you," she replied, her tone far too formal.

Chigusa of course noticed, but wouldn't comment at this point. Her tone said enough though, always enough. _"Okay, then we'll talk soon. Bye Gou."_

Not wanting to say anything else, Gou quickly disconnected the call, sighing as she held her phone in her hand. She was tired, very tired. The next call she needed to make as soon as possible. If she was going to wait till tonight, when they would see each other again, he would be angry at her for not saying anything sooner. At least now he would only be angry that she cancelled their plans. She could still offer to come to him after she finished her plans with Chigusa. He may be happier then. She could spend the night and make it even better. That would be a safe way to put things.

Feeling her phone buzz in her hand, she dreaded the fact that it could be Kaito. It may be him calling her, checking up on her, talking about their days before they'd meet later. He was quite considerate like that, and then she would drop the bad news. Fortunately it wasn't Kaito, but instead her brother. It was quite special for Rin to text her, so she knew it had to be about something important. Probably about him coming over next week and how she should make space for him in the house. Since he was bringing over all his lovers. It would be fun, but their house would never fit four grown men, ever. Especially not when two of them were practically giants. Sweet and soft giants, but still giants, with a slight clumsy tendency. It reminded her of large dogs who were unaware of how big they were and would throw everything off the table with their tails.

_What should I get mom for her birthday?_

Okay, it could also be something as simple as that. Didn't he have boyfriends for that to help him with? Her birthday had been a few weeks ago, and Rin couldn't make it, so he would make it up like this. _Get her a new perfume or something._ She texted back, slightly agitated, though that wasn't really her brother's fault.

_I got her perfume last year. I can't buy her that again._

Well, that wasn't really her problem, was it? Sighing she put her head down on the table and collected herself, not wanting her reply to be to snippy. She could hear her mom rummaging in the kitchen, her other mom still at work. It was a peaceful life with the three of them living here, and at least her moms didn't say anything about her relationship with Kaito. They let her enjoy it, because they knew every relationship was special, like theirs had been together with her dad. And even when her dad passed, her moms had stayed together. Relationships weren't always easy, but they were worthwhile. _I don't know, Rin. Just get her something you think she'll like. It's the gesture that counts anyway._ She eventually answered, head still on the table as she pushed her phone out in front of her.

_Fine fine. I'll get her something... Anyway, you don't have to sleep anywhere else. We'll be staying at Haru's old place. Apparently there is enough room there and then you won't be kicked out of your own room._

A bit surprised by that she lifted her head from the table and looked at her phone warily. Why would he suddenly offer that? He had been set on getting her out, since he didn't feel like traveling so much once he was there, and Haru's place wasn't right around the corner. It was convenient for her, but still. _Okay, but I don't mind spending a few days at Kaito's. Don't feel forced to stay at Haru's._ She was fishing. She wanted to know exactly why he had changed his mind. Rin was not one to change his mind so sudden, especially not when it was only in a few days.

_No, it's fine. You don't have to stay with him. We'll stay at Haru's._

He had not explicitly said anything, but the word 'him' stood out for Gou. Rin may not even have meant it that way, but Gou understood it that way. Rin disliked Kaito, so much so that he refused to say her boyfriend's name. Like he hadn't done in the message. And this was his way of keeping her away from him. So that she would not be staying with him for a few days. Pretending to be the protective brother, but instead just meddling in. It annoyed her so much. _I'll stay with him anyway, so it doesn't matter if you're staying home with our moms or at Haru's place._

No reply came after that, and that was exactly why Gou had said it. She probably wouldn't be staying with Kaito all four nights Rin and others were there, but still. It felt like a victory knowing why Rin had arranged it all, but it was a loss to know that Rin really didn't support her relationship. Part of her still hoped, hoped he would accept Kaito at some point, but chances seemed slim.

As the thought of her boyfriend crossed her mind again, her victory smile disappeared from her face. She still had another phone call to make and solve some other things. Arguing with her brother over who was staying where was better than this call. And maybe Kaito wouldn't reply as angrily as Gou expected him to do. She only thought he would, because she felt bad about doing it. She thought it wasn't right to cancel her plans with him after they had been set for weeks. So she was getting ahead of herself. Kaito was probably very understanding. Yes, he would be.

And yet here she was, hesitating. Her phone still posed in her hand and she gathered the courage to call. It buzzed again, making her jump slightly. Her brother had texted her back anyway, giving her another few minutes to delay the call. She heaved out a sigh. She denied it was one of relief.

_Gou, Makoto feels bad for forcing you out of your house, so please just sleep at home. Otherwise he will complain to me and that I did it wrong. So stay home and force us to sleep in Haru's house._

Well, that was an odd turn of events, and very typical of Makoto. Of course Rin's boyfriends would make sure he wasn't as selfish about this. Haru wouldn't care much, but the other two… They were kind of Gou's big brothers as well, and would even protect her from her real big brother. And Rin did need to be shown some boundaries sometimes. Still something didn't sit well with Gou. Even if this all sounded very plausible, Gou couldn't help but think this was just an excuse. That it wasn't really Makoto's doing in some way. But maybe she was just seeing things. Ugh, everything was just too much today.

Instead of replying to Rin's text, Gou went to her phone memory and found Kaito's number, blinking as one of the last numbers called. She sucked in a deep breath, finding her heart beating fast as she pushed the call button. With her eyes closed she listened to the dial tone, waiting on her lover to pick up. It rang once, twice, and at the third he picked up.

"H-hey Kaito, I hope you're doing okay. I have something to discuss with you…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, took me long enough... And Gou deserves some happiness as well!

That conversation must've been one of the hardest she had ever had, but they had come to an arrangement and Gou was able to see Chigusa the entire evening. She would need to spend the night at Kaito's house, plus the nights Rin and his lovers were over. All of that to make this up to him. Of course it was sad she wouldn't be able to see her boyfriend that much, and so she should make it up to him. But five nights seemed a bit excessive. Not that she could really refuse. He had used that tone with her, the one she couldn't resist. And after that he pretended he did her a favour, which he had, but whenever Kaito used that tone with her, it just didn't sit well. It didn't feel right. Why would he feel the need to speak to her that way?

None of it mattered now, and she didn't want to think of it any longer. It was time to see her friend! Gou was already on her way, walking up to Chigusa's parents' house. She had been here often enough, remembering exactly which posters of which celebrities hung from her walls. Gou wondered if they would still be there.

Before she could ring the doorbell, the door already swung open and Chigusa stepped out, dressed in a navy-blue dress, bringing out the colour of her eyes. She looked beautiful, all dolled up for their meeting. It made Gou feel bad for not dressing up as much, but she didn't know where they were going. Apparently somewhere fancy, and Gou would feel underdressed the entire evening.

"Hey," Chigusa greeted, stepping forward and giving Gou a kiss on the cheek. "You look gorgeous."

A bit taken aback by the kiss Gou took a little longer to reply, not used to this way of greeting yet. "T- thank you, but I think you look a lot better than I do." The compliment rolled off her lips easily, because it was the truth. She looked so much better.

The blush staining Chigusa's cheeks was also unexpected, but she didn't comment. "Let's go! We don't want to be late!"

Chigusa took her by the arm and pulled her along. Apparently, she made reservations to some place and they needed to hurry. Gou was wracking her brain on where they would be going, but she had no clue. There were no fancy places to go in Iwatobi as far as she knew.

"Where are we going?" she asked as Chigusa pulled harder, her heels clacking loudly on the pavement as her pace fastened. Her friend glanced behind her at Gou and merely blinked as a reply, a cheeky grin on her lips. She really was going to surprise Gou with this, and at the prospect of being surprised, her heart fluttered. Kaito never really put any effort in surprising her. Their dates were planned to a T, leaving no room for surprises. Kaito said it was because it was easier this way and made sure they both enjoyed their time together. Now Gou thought he may just be a bit lazy.

And then the bright lights filtered out in front of her, the chlorine smell filling her nostrils as they stepped closer and closer, and all Gou could do was laugh. "No way," she said. "No way did you bring me here. What are we going to do at the swim club?"

Chigusa turned around right before the entrance, the bright TL lights shining down on them, half blinding them. She grabbed Gou's hands and squeezed them, an insecure gleam in her eyes. "I thought that it would be fun to see the new teams swim. I checked and these are the new high school boys. You know, for old times' sake."

"But… Aren't we a bit too old for this?" Gou pitched in, a blush now dusting her cheeks as she thought of the boys currently getting ready to jump in the pool. They are underaged and all, so this may be a bit creepy.

Chigusa shook her head and then just smiled. "We're just looking, and we can also just watch their techniques. You coached the team for three years. You know your stuff. I just thought it would be fun to reminisce."

Gou nodded. "Okay, I agree, let's go watch some hot swimmer boys and feel old!" she announced and stepped through the sliding doors, before glancing over at Chigusa once more. "But you have to explain something to me then. Why in the world are you so dressed up?"

Glancing down at her dress, Chigusa thought that over for a second and then just shrugged. "I wanted to look good for you. We hadn't seen each other in so long, so I wanted to honour it by putting a bit more effort into meeting you. Didn't you do the same?" she questioned, looking Gou over and only then Gou realised she had. She may not look as fancy, but she had carefully picked out the shirt and skirt, making sure the colours not only complimented her, but also Chigusa. Funny how they both worked.

"Okay, you're right. You just look ready to go to prom or something," she threw back, exaggerating of course. Chigusa laughed at her comment, before dragging her forward once more to get to the upper booth to watch the swimmers down below.

Leaning over the edge, Gou watched as a few of the high schoolers jumped into the pool. They were indeed young, and Gou felt no attraction to them at this point. But she did appreciate how muscular they all were. Well defined biceps and triceps. And those broad backs of the back swimmers. Those thick thighs stuck in tight jammers. Oh how she had loved being here when she was younger, training the boys and enjoying the view at the same time. It really had been fun.

She could feel Chigusa next to her, leaning over the edge as well to see the swimmers. A soft smile adorned her lips, and Gou thought she looked absolutely breath-taking like that. So at ease with her surroundings, comfortable no matter what. Gou wished she could feel like that.

"I always wondered why you loved watching them swim," Chigusa said softly. "But now I see it. It's really beautiful how they move in the water. It looks so easy, as if they are flying."

Looking back down at the swimmers Gou took in the sight, watching a match between two butterfly swimmers. One of her favourites to watch, because of her brother of course. She hummed in agreement, though it still meant more to Gou. It was also because she was then part of something. Part of their group. And she had enjoyed that. The boys were still close friends of hers, even if she hardly ever saw them. Makoto and Haru she would see through Rin, but Nagisa and Rei she never saw. She wasn't even sure where they were at this point. Had she been a bad friend? It's not like they had contacted her much, but they had reached out a few times. At some point they had stopped.

Trying to shake this feeling, Gou quickly changed the subject, kind of done with swimmers. "So what's next on the menu?"

Chigusa turned her away, excited gleam in her eyes once more. "Okay, we have options, depending on what you'd prefer. I tried to pursued our high school to let us have dinner in the cafeteria, as if we'd have lunch. But they unfortunately didn't allow that. So then I thought we could go to the little diner where we always got milkshakes whenever we had some money left. I hear they actually have great food there," Chigusa offered, taking a deep breath to start her next ramble. "Or we could get some disgusting fast food and take it up to my room, and eat it there while listening to some boyband we used to love. My parents haven't changed my room at all, by the way."

The first idea was nice. Just sit somewhere, enjoy each other's company, and have some light conversation. But Gou had to admit, it had all happened in Chigusa's room. They had gossiped there. Shared the biggest secrets with one another. That idea was far more perfect than any other idea. If they were doing for all times' sake, then they should do that, including the cheap fast food.

"Okay, but then we should get some cheap hamburgers, and I am craving fries right now. It's been so long since I had fries…" Gou complained, leaning her head on Chigusa's shoulder as she glanced down at the swimmers one last time. "And can we then also get some chocolate from the store. Your girl needs some sugar!"

Chigusa laughed and wrapped an arm around Gou's waist. Quite the intimate gesture, but Gou didn't care. They had been so close, this was not something strange. Especially not with the feelings Chigusa brought up at this point. How close they had been before. Hell, Gou had shared everything with Chigusa. Her deepest darkest secrets. Like her childhood crush on Makoto that had lasted about a month. And she knew things about Chigusa as well. How she had feared she would end up alone. Crazy really to think that at such a young age. And now the girl didn't even seem to care if she had anyone or not.

"Alright. Let's go then. I want to make the most out of this evening with you," Chigusa said, grabbing Gou's hand and pulling her away from the swimmers. Not that Gou was paying attention still. They were not as interesting to watch, as her team had been. "We should pick a movie to watch too, I think. Some bad romantic comedy flick, which makes us laugh, and then cry."

"And hoping we will find love like that someday," Gou added, a dreamy look on her face to express her feelings.

"Well, I am assuming you already found it, considering how much time you spend with the guy," Chigusa replied, unable to keep to sting out of her voice. Gou thought they had passed it, since Gou had solved the issue, but apparently Chigusa was still mad about it. Why though? It was solved. Gou was already paying the price.

Paying the price… Did she really think that's what she was doing?

It took a bit too long before Gou answered to that comment, stuck in her thoughts about paying prices. With a raised eyebrow Chigusa turned towards her. They were standing in the hallway of the swim club now, TL lights shining down on them. It really was the least flattering lighting. "I mean you do think he is the one, right?" she now asked, worry lacing her voice.

"I mean… yeah," Gou said, but she sounded defeated. Apparently her brother had gotten to her. Brainwashed her and made her doubt herself. "He's good to me. Takes care of me. Protects me. He wants to be with me all the time," she explained, trying to find the reasons why she was with him.

"But, do you love him?" Chigusa asked, stepping a little closer, so she could grab Gou's hands again, rubbing them to comfort her friend.

Gou stuttered, she actually stuttered. She did love him, right? She had never told him so, but he had never told her either. That didn't mean they didn't love each other. They were just scared to say it out loud. Gou's mouth fell open and then she closed it again, because she was still too scared to say it. And if she loved him, Kaito should be the first to hear it.

If she loved him…

"Oh boy," Chigusa said, averting her gaze. "I think we need to get that food quickly, and maybe add a tub of ice cream as well. I think we have a lot to talk about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the next chapter will continue on with this XD If it seems like this is going fast, it's meant to by the way :)
> 
> Love, Dana

**Author's Note:**

> How was the start? Let me know if something feels off!
> 
> Follow me on Facebook for other updates: www.facebook.com/DanaaEliza
> 
> Love, Dana


End file.
